1

3rd YEAR PRAGMATICS

PRAGMATICS AS THE STUDY OF LANGUAGE IN USE

(1) Which of the following acts can be performed through the use of language?
kicking, asserting, warning, promising, running, referring, insulting

(2) Which of the following statements is correct?

(a) There are no acts which cannot be performed linguistically.
(b) Some acts can be performed either linguistically or non-linguistically. Exemplify

(3) Could I dont have all the time in the world be an act of:
a) refusal
b) dismissal
c) apology
d) compliment
e) justification

(4) What illocutionary acts are performed by the following utterances, assuming normal circumstances.

1. Could I give you a lift?

2. After you (addressed to someone wishing to go through the same door as the speaker)
3. Im awfully sorry I wasnt at the meeting this morning
4. You can play outside for half an hour
5. Good evening
6. One moccacino and one machiatto to go, please.
7. Weve done our best (uttered by a surgeon who comes out of the OR and addresses
the family of the patient having undergone surgery)
8. I rest my case (uttered by lawyer in court)
9. Yeah, and Im the Queen of Sheba.
10. Let bygones be bygones!

5. Now suggest a possible perlocution for each utterance in (4). Use the same general form of words
for each answer, i.e. begin with Causing the hearer to . . .

6. Are the following utterances performative or constative? What act do they perform or what do they
describe?

1. I name this ship Hibernia// 2. I inform you that I am your new boss.// 3. I dub thee Sir Galahad. //
4. I hereby declare the meeting adjourned.// 5. I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but
the truth, so help me God!. // 6. I curse you to live in loneliness and poverty for the rest of your life.// 7.
I advised her not to take the pills. // 8. All passengers are requested to fasten their seatbelts.// 9.We
thank you for your invaluable contribution.// 10. I bid 20 million $ for any Monet.// 11. I bid three
clubs.// 12. Listeners are reminded that BBC wireless licences expire on April 4 th.//13. It gives me
great pleasure to inaugurate this center.//14. I forbade him to trespass my property.// 15. You are hereby
appointed chairman.// 16. I congratulate you on your promotion.
 2

7. Complete as you think appropriate:

a) The utterance Get lost could be an act of .
b) The utterance Why dont you try looking in Woolworths? could be an act of
c) The utterance Do you think Im an idiot? could be an act of.
d) The utterance Praise the Lord could be an act of
e) The utterance Are you looking for trouble? could be an act of

8. Specify the speech act associated with it in each utterance when made in the specified situations:

1) Master to butler: Its quite chilly in here, Stevens.

2) To companion on a mountain hike: My ankle is caught in this thorny bush.
3) Prosecutor to witness: You are aware that youre committing perjury.
4) Repentful husband to wife: If you could only accept my apologies!
5) Mother to child who has been eating untidily: Look at the mess youve made!
6)...and the Oscar for the best movie goes to Lion!

9. Given below are illocutionary acts, and for each act there are four suggested felicity conditions. In
each case only two of the felicity conditions are actually adequate. Indicate them by circling your
choices.

(1)
promising:
(a) The speaker must intend to carry out the thing promised.
(b) The speaker must be inferior in status to the hearer.
(c) The thing promised must be something that the hearer wants to happen.
(d) The thing promised must be morally wrong.

(2) apologizing:
(a) The speaker must be responsible for the thing apologized for.
(b) The thing apologized for must be (or must have been) unavoidable.
(c) The thing apologized for must be morally wrong.
(d) The hearer must not want the thing apologized for to happen (or to have happened).

(3) greeting:
(a) The speaker and the hearer must be of different sex.
(b) The speaker and the hearer must not be in the middle of a conversation.
(c) The speaker must believe the hearer to have recently suffered a loss.
(d) The speaker feels some respect and/or sense of community (however slight) with the hearer.

(4) protesting:
(a) The speaker and the hearer must have recently been in conflict with each other.
(b) The speaker must disapprove of the state of affairs protested at.
(c) The state of affairs protested at must be disapproved of by the community generally.
(d) The hearer must be held to be responsible (by the speaker) for the state of affairs protested at.